Baryshnikov leads the audience into the world of Chekov

Mikhail Baryshnikov, the ballet prince of the 1970s and 1980s, has come to town this week as an actor-dancer and teller of tales in a production called “Man in a Case,” adapted from two short stories by Anton Chekhov.

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By Iris FangerFor The Patriot Ledger

Wicked Local

By Iris FangerFor The Patriot Ledger

Posted Feb. 27, 2014 at 12:00 AM

By Iris FangerFor The Patriot Ledger

Posted Feb. 27, 2014 at 12:00 AM

MAN IN A CASE

Written by Anton Chekhov, adapted and directed by Annie-B Parson and Paul Lazar/Big Dance Theater, performed by Baryshnikov Productions and ArtsEmerson at the Cutler Majestic Theatre, through Ma...

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MAN IN A CASE

Written by Anton Chekhov, adapted and directed by Annie-B Parson and Paul Lazar/Big Dance Theater, performed by Baryshnikov Productions and ArtsEmerson at the Cutler Majestic Theatre, through March 2. $25-$89; 617-824-8400, www.cutlermajestic.org

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Baryshnikov, the ballet prince of the 1970s and 1980s, has come to town this week as an actor-dancer and teller of tales in a production called “Man in a Case,” adapted from two short stories by Anton Chekhov. Now more than 60 years old, Baryshnikov has aged with seamless grace to become a producer, a mentor to experimental artists, and a performer of no less elegance and charisma than when he held center stage at the ballet.

The surprise lies in the discovery of his considerable acting skills, although the two characters he has brought to Boston are not the first non-dancing roles that have taken him from films “The Turning Point” and “White Nights” to television and Broadway in an adaptation of Franz Kafka’s “Metamorphosis”, among others. For “Man in a Case,” adapted by Paul Lazar and Annie-B Parson and directed by Parson, Baryshnikov portrays two different but ordinary men, although with Chekhov’s gift for turning literary creations into memorable people, they blaze before us in all their kinks and compromises. The stories are narrated and then portrayed by one woman and four men, including Lazar, who range in and out of the action, sometimes dropping character at the edges. Parson and Lazar are co-founders of Big Dance, a company that presents theatrical pieces which combine dialogue, films, visual projections, music and dance into rich and evocative stage presentations.

In the opening story, Baryshnikov appears as Belikov, a teacher of the Greek language who is so repressed and frightened, he maintains his life according to the rules he has established to protect him and expects others to behave the same. His restricted movements betray him as much as his forbidding behavior that puts off his students and faculty colleagues. Although he only dances for a moment in the first story, his body is always in motion by means of telling gestures and facial expressions. Wearing a long, dark coat, Baryshnikov moves in upright posture, holding his arms stiffly next to his body, as if to create a bubble to keep people away. Upon his return at night to his pathetic room, he takes off his gloves and galoshes in the choreography of a repeated, daily pattern. The flat hat on his head makes him look like Buster Keaton of silent films, but there’s no comedy allowed.

At a party, Belikov meets the lively and lovely Barbara, played by dynamic actor-dancer, Tymberly Canale. He is smitten when she opens his arms to draw him into the circle of her dance. Given the gentle pace of the story, their final break-up is a shocker. In Chekhov’s world, there are no happy endings, only a sinking back to the dullness and boredom endured by those who cannot or will not pursue their dreams.

Page 2 of 2 - Alyokin, the man of the second story, “About Love,” is also repressed but in a different way. He works on his father’s estate to pay off the debts from his education, only finding a life on his occasional visits to a family that has befriended him. He and the other man’s wife, Anna (Canale), fall in love but never admit their feelings to each other until they must part forever. Baryshnikov is more animated as Alyokin, performing a marvelous, seemingly improvised jazz dance that makes one remember his appearances in works by contemporary choreographer Twyla Tharp. He dances here alone, as if lost in his thoughts. Later, he performs a folk-dance with Anna, which allows them to block out the reality of her husband and children, at least for a few moments. Baryshnikov’s brief appearance as a dancer was mesmerizing. He still commands the stage, moving through space in perfect harmony to the music and the motives of his character.

The magic of the evening was due to more than the pleasure of seeing Baryshnikov on stage again. “Man in a Case” is an innovative collaboration of language, music dance and striking visuals that takes the viewer deep into Chekhov’s world and the sad, lonely people who inhabit it. Despite Baryshnikov’s riveting presence, it was clear he sees himself less as a star but as an actor at work, in a company and creative team of equals.